Uncorruptable
by Hurricanes and Butterflies
Summary: Rorschach never thought of anyone as being uncorrupted by the city until he met this little girl. She wants to be a vigilante, just like him, and has the skills to do so. But what of her past? Where did she come from and what could that mean? R&R, please!
1. Chapter 1

It was early morning when she woke up in the alleyway. She could tell by the location of the sun, and the small number of people walking by. She groggily rubbed her eyes, sitting up. Where was she? How did she get there? Who was she? She looked down at herself. She was a young girl, Caucasian, wearing a smudged white dress and no shoes. From the pain, she had a bruise under her left eye. She rubbed the back of her head, feeling the long strands of hair that she saw were dark when she held them out to see.

She warily stood, legs complaining about the action, and walked over to a puddle, staring at her reflection. She was right about the bruise and the hair. She also had delicate features and appeared to be about ten years old. The wide black eyes in the reflection scared her a bit with their blank, zombie-like appearance. She inspected her hands, finding them grimy. She looked around at the sound of people walking by. Just normal citizens of New York.

Funny. She knew where and what she was, but not who she was. The girl took a deep breath, then walked out onto the sidewalk, careful not to step on any sharp objects with her bare feet. People didn't seem to notice her, and the ones who did didn't say anything. She walked past a newsstand. Stopped, looked at some of the papers, then kept walking. She stopped, walked back, and stood staring at the papers again. Watchmen? She squinted at the papers when the man behind the stand acknowledged her.

"Hey, Kid, are you gonna get a paper?" She looked up at him blankly, then looked at the ground. She glanced back at the papers. Watchmen?

"Kid, are you gonna buy one or not?" She looked at her dress. No pockets. No money. She shook her head. The man kept looking at her.

"Kid, where are your shoes?" She shrugged.

"Your parents?" She shrugged again. The man opened his mouth to speak again, but another man had walked up, with money, and bought a paper. She looked at him, inspecting this new man. He was not much taller than she was, with scruffy red hair, dark freckles spattered across his face, stubble, and faded clothes. He had a crude cardboard sign tucked under his arm, as he pulled some change out of his pocket to pay for a paper, that declared 'The End is Nigh.' He made some small talk with the newspaper man, but nothing more, taking his paper and walking along she street.

She took one last look at the newspapers, reading as much as she could, then followed the man. He didn't seem to notice her following him. He finally stopped at a corner, newspaper tucked under one arm and sign resting on his shoulder, when he turned and looked at her. She stopped, standing still in the middle of the sidewalk as people walked past her, watching to see what he'd do. The man just sort of looked at her for a moment, then turned and walked across the street.

She jogged to get to the corner, but the light had turned green, and she had to wait to cross. She watched the top of the red-haired head bob along in the crowd until she could see him no longer. The light turned red, but she walked back to the newspaper stand, sitting next to a young man reading a book with pictures all on it.

"Watchmen?" she asked, surprised at how scratchy and hoarse her voice was from lack of use. The young man looked up from his book at her.

"Huh?" She pointed to the newspapers.

"Watchmen?" The young man looked at her for a moment, then realized what she meant.

"You haven't heard of the Watchmen?" The girl shook her head. "They're these superheroes that used to protect the city until the government shut them down. There was The Comedian, Dr. Manhattan, The Silk Spectre, Nite Owl, Ozymandias, and Rorschach." The girl thought for a moment.

"Ror-schach?" The young man nodded, looking at his book once more, then looking back at her.

"Yeah, he's still running around out there, trying to protect us. He's insane, though, so I don't know if he's really out there to help. He only comes out at night, and the cops are usually looking for him." The girl nodded thoughtfully, deep in thought. She looked back up at the young man.

"Thanks." The young man nodded.

"No prob. Hey, where are your shoes-?" But she had stood up, and started walking, creeping past the newspaper man as he greeted a customer. He asked too many questions that made her feel uncomfortable. She walked back to the alleyway where she woke up, searching for something to remind her of her past, of who she was. She stopped right before the opening, took a deep breath, then looked inside. Nothing. Just a Dumpster, some garbage scattered across the ground. She took a few cautious steps into it, eyes searching closely for anything.

A small black bundle caught her eye. It was right where her head had been that morning. She bent over to pick it up and unfolded it. It was a black trench coat. Just her size. She slipped it on, buttoning the buttons up to the top, folding the collar out, so she could pull the lower half of her face in it, like a turtle. She tied the sash around her waist, then sat on the ground to think.

The young man she had talked to said the Watchmen wore masks. She needed one, too. Where did you get a mask? She had no money, so even if she could find one, she couldn't afford it. She frowned, looking around for something, then looked at her coat. She didn't need a sash, right? She untied it, slipping it out of its belt loops, then tied it around her face, over her eyes. It would work. She stuffed it in her pocket, standing up. She needed something to cut the cloth.

There was an old, broken pocketknife next to the Dumpster that would work fine. It still had a knife or two, though some others were snapped off. She sat cross-legged, pulling the black fabric out of her pocket and gently slicing a hole in it. She held it up to her eye. Good. She carefully cut the second hole, then held the mask up to her face. It would work for now. She stood, stuffing the makeshift mask in her pocket and tucking the knife she had used in so it wouldn't stab her. The sound of footsteps behind her made her shove her hands in her pockets and walk out of there and onto the sidewalk. Fast.

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She had been sitting on that curb for _hours. _Her stomach was grumbling, her joints were stiff, and she wasn't sure how she'd live to see tomorrow if she didn't find shelter soon. The city was a dangerous place and she didn't want to get caught up in the crossfire. She watched two young boys across the street from her play 'Cops and Robbers'. The 'robber' was running around, pretending to shoot at the 'cop', who chased him about, also shooting at his friend. As morbid as the game was, she couldn't help but smile. They seemed be having fun.

"Bang! Bang! BANG!" they shouted at each other, as the 'robber' pretended to run away with his 'loot', a shiny penny and a bottle cap. She smiled again, watching them being guided away from their game by their mothers, who talked the whole time. The girl looked around, finding she was alone. The game had awoken something in her mind, like a memory, but not quite. She just had the urge to…

She feigned a gun with her hand, mimicking the two boys, and pointed at a trashcan.

"Bang." For a second, nothing happened. She didn't expect anything to. Suddenly, the trashcan made a loud sound of impact, and a side dented in. Startled by the sudden noise, the girl was up on her feet and running, despite her protesting body. People would go out to see what had happened, soon, and she had to get away from there. She had just enough time to see the perfectly round hole in the side of the metal, the exact size of a bullet hole.

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The darkness was starting to settle on the streets of New York. The girl shivered, shoving her hands in her pockets and walking along the sidewalk at a brisk pace. She had donned her mask under a streetlight, hiding the identity even she didn't know. Now, she was on the lookout for anything, anything at all. She felt drawn to these 'Watchmen' people. Like they could help her. They were Heroes, right? Heroes helped people, crazy or not.

She sighed, knowing that in a city this big, it was nearly impossible to run into someone you wanted to run into by chance. She was pulled out of her thoughts as she heard footsteps. Her bare feet made no sound on the pavement, so she was being followed. She turned to see two men behind her, close enough for discomfort. Automatically, she turned into an alley to escape them, and set herself at a fast walk to increase the distance between her and the men. What she didn't count on was a dead end.

She stopped and turned to see the men walk towards her, smiling.

"'Ey thar, sweet'eart," one of them crooned, the bigger one, "Where ya think yer goin'?" He laughed, a scary, booming sound. They were close enough now that she could see their bloodshot eyes and smell the spirits on their breath. The second one frowned as he got a closer look at her.

"Man, she's just a kid. This isn't worth my time. Let's go." The first man laughed again.

"Naw, I like 'em young." He grabbed her arm, squinting to see her better. His breath made her gag. "She's tryin' to be like one o' them supers! Little thing like you'd get snapped in half. Heh." The girl's sense of self-preservation kicked into gear, and she clenched her fist, sending it with all her might crashing into the man's mid section, hitting his solar plexus. The man doubled over, but kept a hold on her arm. She attempted to stomp on his instep, and while he yelped in pain, his grip did not falter.

"You little-!" He growled, standing at full height, but he was not quick enough to see her send her palm into his nose. The crack and gush of blood told her she'd broken it. Finally, he let go of her to hold his newly broken nose, making wounded animal sounds. The girl retreated to the end of the alleyway, waiting for the next move. The large man turned to his friend.

"I fink she broke by nose!" He shouted nasally, then turned to her, removing his hands from his wounded face, clenching his fists by his sides.

"You're gonna get it, girlie!" The girl swallowed, then shakily held up her hand, feigning a gun again. The two men laughed. The second one wiped an eye, and gripped his stomach.

"Kid thinks a fake gun's gonna stop ya!" The larger man nodded, then charged, full force, at her. She dodged out of the way, facing the man as he hit the wall, he turned, shakily, then charged again. There wasn't enough time to dodge. She knew what she had to do.

"Bang." The man was hit squarely in the chest, his run slowing until he fell to the ground with a thump, only inches from her toes. She stood over him, victorious, when she felt the arms wrap around her midsection and lift her into the air. She squirmed and kicked, but the arms held her fast, and she couldn't reach any pressure points. The owner of the arms began squeezing her tightly, she felt the wind leave her lungs and her back begin to crack.

"You killed Greg, you little-!" But the man was cut off and the arms let her go. She landed on her backside, groaning and breathing heavily to regain air to her lungs. She heard grunts and sounds of a scuffle before a large CRACK! She turned to see a new man in a brown trench coat and fedora walking away. Despite her brain telling her to regain some sort of oxygen and footing, she up on her feet and after him in a moment.

She grabbed a hold on his coat. The man stopped, then turned quickly, elbowing her in the face. Hard. She didn't let go, though, landing on her backside, once more, left eye pounding harder than ever. She looked up at the man, searching for a face, any clue to who he was. All she saw was white fabric with black shapes swirling on it. A mask…

"Ror-schach?" The girl asked softly. The man didn't answer but simply tugged on his coat, trying to get it out from her grip. She held it tighter.

"Answer question." The man looked down at her and tugged again. She frowned, tugging back and standing. The man sighed lightly.

"Shouldn't be out this late. Go home." The girl frowned at him.

"No home." The man looked puzzled, she thought. Maybe it was just the shape on his face.

"Find one." She released his coat, and he began to walk again, only faster. The girl followed him, having to trot beside him to keep up pace. He stopped again, turning to look at her.

"Not someone to follow." She crossed her arms and shrugged. The man, she was certain it was Rorschach, reached out and pushed her away. She grabbed onto his arm.

"Want to learn." The man pulled his arm out of the girl's grip and began to walk again. She trotted along beside him.

"Need to show you something. Please?" The man stopped again, facing her. She wouldn't give up, would she? He'd have to resort to violent measures. He sighed again.

"Fine. Make it fast." The girl smiled, then led him back to where she had been attacked. The second man was lying on the ground, his head bent at an odd angle. She led Rorschach to the first man, Greg. He was impressed that she managed to take him down by herself. Not very impressed, but impressed all the same. She pointed to what appeared to be a bullet wound in his chest, then pointed to herself.

"Shot him?" If the girl killed him with a gun, then something was going to happen, soon. The girl shook her head.

"Watch." Then, she feigned a gun with her hand, aiming at a wall. She was going to pretend to shoot something? What was she doing? The girl picked a point to aim at.

"Bang." It made no sense to him. What was the point? Then, as if the gun she held was real, an invisible bullet seemed to hit where she aimed, taking a chunk of the wall off. Rorschach was startled.

"Do it again." The girl repeated the action, taking another chunk out of the wall. Rorschach had no idea what was going on, but one thing was very clear to him: This child would not be allowed to wander the streets, alone. The girl looked up at him, as if pleased with herself for what she did. Rorschach turned and began to walk away. The girl stayed still, watching him. He stopped, turning to look at her.

"Come on." The girl ran to his side and they walked off together, leaving the two men's bodies to lay in a dead end alley.

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Daniel Drieberg was not surprised to find his door kicked in. It didn't mean that it didn't tick him off, though. He stomped towards his kitchen, knowing that was where the intruder was. He could see Rorschach already, spooning beans out of a can into his mouth, as nonchalant as ever.

"Daniel, need you to watch something for me." Dan rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, what is it?" He stood in the doorway to his kitchen, eyes trained on the vigilante as he chewed his unheated beans. Rorschach swallowed, then pointed to the end of the table. Dan frowned. He was used to Rorschach being secretive. He wasn't surprised by the vague request. When his eyes followed the line from Rorschach's finger to what he pointing to, however, he was surprised. A little girl in a black trench coat and mask was sitting at the end of his kitchen table, eating her own can of unheated beans, as nonchalant as the man she had arrived with.

A/N: It started with my drawing of a little girl in her black coat and mask and turned into a weird, Watchmen-based dream. I guess I have too many dream stories for my own good. Figured it was good, so I wrote is down. I still need a hero name for my little vigilante, so feel free to give me suggestions. I know it was kind of slow at the beginning, but it'll pick up, I promise. I don't own Watchmen or any of the characters. Hope you enjoy! ^_^


	2. Chapter 2

Daniel Dreiberg looked at the girl in disbelief. Rorschach did not like people, especially women. Well, while the girl didn't exactly fit the bill as a 'woman', yet, he still wasn't sure that Rorschach would be in cohorts with anyone female. And definitely not this young. He looked at the man, skeptically, but Rorschach didn't seem to notice. Dan cleared his throat.

"Um, Rorschach," the other man looked up at him. "Who is this?" Rorschach swallowed again, wiping his mouth with his sleeve, then rested the can on the table and pulled his mask down to cover his mouth.

"Found her. Was attacked by two men. Took one down by herself. Interesting. Needed place for her to stay." The girl looked up at him with large, sole black eyes, as innocent as they came. It was hard to believe that someone that little could take down a full-grown man.

Before he could ask any more questions, Rorschach was up and out the door, leaving the girl alone with him. He shifted uncomfortably, glancing everywhere but at the girl. The only noise was her scraping the can for any last bits.

"Daniel," the voice came suddenly, and he turned to look for Rorschach, but no one was there. He realized it was the girl. Amazing how two people so different could use the exact same tone of voice. He looked back at the girl as she held up a now empty tin can. "More. Please?" She gave him the most pitiful look and he just couldn't resist.

"Sure. But we'll heat them up this time, okay?" The girl smiled at him, and he rummaged through his cabinets to find another can of beans. Upon finding one, he opened it and poured its contents into a bowl, placing it in the microwave. The silence was nerve-wracking.

"What's your name?" The girl stared at him for a moment, making him feel as if he'd asked the wrong question. She finally shook her head.

"No name." Dan was confused. Everyone had a name. It was a part of them.

"Parents?" The girl shook her head again.

"Do you have a home?" The girl shook her head again. The microwave beeped, and Dan opened it, placing the bowl in front of the girl. She dug in without hesitation, as if she'd never seen food before in her life. When she was done, the first thing Dan did was see if she'd take a shower. She didn't smell half as bad as Rorschach, but, then again, what did? She happily obliged, happy to be free of the grit and grime of New York City.

Dan sat at his kitchen table, pondering over what was going on. Rorschach brought him this strange little girl with no name, no family, and no home, who killed a full-grown man on her own, and seemed to want to be a vigilante, if the mask said anything. How did this all fit together? He faintly heard the shower stop and knew he only had a few minutes longer to try and evaluate what to do. Obviously this girl was staying with him until Rorschach came back, but who knew when that would be.

The girl appeared in the kitchen without making a sound, startling him. He noticed that she had no shoes on, but her feet were no longer charcoal black, and now a soft pink. The best part was that she no longer smelled like she fell in a Dumpster. Her black jacket was draped over her arm, and she wore a grungy white dress. Her mask was still tied on her head, covering the top half of her face. What was the point of concealing your identity if you didn't even know it?

"Feeling better. Thank you, Daniel." He kept himself from flinching. She was like a younger version of Rorschach, and, frankly, that bugged him a bit. Someone that young and innocent shouldn't turn into someone like that. Not that Rorschach was a bad guy or anything. Some of the things he did were just sort of… radical. He forced himself to smile.

"Glad to hear it. Now, can you tell how everything happened? From the beginning?" The girl took a deep breath and looked away, as if he'd asked something she wasn't supposed to answer. She looked back at him with those black eyes and frowned.

"Woke up in alley with bruised eye. Read paper about Watchmen, needed help. Found jacket that I'd used for pillow, made mask. Found out ability. Wandered around after dark, looking for Watchmen, then was attacked. Killed first man, couldn't get out of second one's grasp, and suddenly Rorschach kills other man and I'm okay. He bruised eye more, but it'll be fine, I think. Showed him ability, he said to follow him. Brought me here, showed me how to break door, and gave me food. Said I was getting home, and that we would wait for you. Waited long time, then you come. Then, all this."

She finished with a hint of embarrassment, as if she felt bad for admitting what all had happened. Daniel thought for a moment. Was that it? This girl sure was a mystery.

"Do you remember anything before that?" The girl shook her head, sadly. That was a lot of help. He went over what she said again. Ability?

"Can you show me this 'ability'?" The girl shook her head and he felt a twinge of jealousy. How come she could show Rorschach something and not him? He was trustworthy enough. The girl looked at him, as if reading his mind.

"Cannot show you, here. Too many things to break." Dan felt his spirit lift a bit. So she _could_ trust him. His mind was searching for a place where she wouldn't destroy anything, however she was going to do it. His mind flitted to his little… den, but he didn't let anyone other than any of the other Watchmen into it. Her found the girl staring at him, brow furrowed in thought.

"Watchmen?" She caught him off-guard. He struggled to keep control of his expression.

"Yeah?" The girl stared at him, thinking hard.

"Part of Watchmen?" He pondered over what answer to give. She obviously figured that Rorschach would not come in contact with anyone besides another masked vigilante. He nodded, and that was the end of the indecision. He stood up and watched her do the same.

"I have a place where you can show me." He led the girl to a door, and, hesitantly, opened it to reveal Archie and all his inventions he was so proud of. The girl's eyes widened, and her mouth was slightly agape at all the things in that room. She looked up at him.

"Sure I won't break anything?" Dan nodded, smiling uneasily.

"Yeah, if it breaks then I didn't do a great job in making, it, right?" The girl nodded, still unsure, but walked down the stairs, glancing around at all the things in there. She'd never seen anything like that, before. It was fascinating. She stared at a large object covered in a heavy canvas, wondering what it was. There was a long stretch of what looked like a tunnel that she could shoot in. She jogged down there, down about twenty feet, and stopped, watching Dan as he stopped at the end of it.

"Okay," she said, making sure he could hear, "Walked into dead end alley, and man walks up. He grabs my arm." She held out one arm, fist clenched, to emphasize. Dan nodded.

"Then, I Punch him in solar plexus," she threw a punch into the air, "But he didn't let go. Stomped on his foot," she stomped her foot really hard on the ground, "But he still wouldn't let go. He stood up, and I broke his nose." She sent her palm into an imaginary attacker's face. Dan nodded again, wincing.

"Let go. I ran back," she did so, "And he ran at me. I dodged." She jumped out of the way of an imaginary attack, then ran to the other side of the tunnel. "He ran at me again, and I did this." She held up her hand, feigning a gun. Dan nodded again, not seeing how that would hurt anyone at all.

The girl took a deep breath, then muttered, "Bang." Dan was wondering what she was doing when something took a chunk out of the wall. He stared at the piece on the ground, awestruck. He looked back at the girl.

"Can I see that, again?" The girl nodded, pointing at the same spot.

"Bang!" A larger chunk flew out of the wall. Dan was speechless. This little girl, not only with the ability to hurt people with fighting skills, could shoot invisible bullets by simply pretending to have a gun. How did that happen? He could easily see why Rorschach didn't just leave her out there. The kid was a three-foot-tall killer. She skipped happily towards Dan, stopping right next to him as if she hadn't just blown a hole in his wall with nothing but her mind. He smiled uneasily, back.

"That's…. uh, that's some talent you got there." She nodded. He led her back into the normal house where she curled up on the couch and immediately fell asleep. It was late, actually, after 11:00. Dan placed a blanket on her shoulders and left her to dream. He wasn't used to having another person in the house, especially someone so young, so he felt pretty uncomfortable about it and just walked into his room to fall asleep, himself.

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The girl woke up before him, and sat on the couch, waiting for him to come out. He rubbed his eyes, groggily, walking down towards the kitchen for some coffee when she somehow appeared in front of him. He jumped back, gasping, but calmed himself down, remembering that he was currently sharing his house with someone else.

He turned on his coffee maker, and poured the girl a cup of orange juice, which she sipped happily. He got himself a mug and some sugar cubes to place in it. The girl examined the sugar cubes, then pointed to one. Dan handed it to her, and she inspected it closer, before popping it in her mouth. CRONCH! CRONCH! She smiled as she chewed, savoring the sweet taste. Yep, she definitely was a mini-Rorschach…

Dan frowned, remembering that Rorschach hadn't told him what to do with the girl. He simply left her there; probably to go prevent crime, but when was he coming back to get her? He certainly never came out during the day, which meant that he was to spend a whole day with the girl. She didn't even have a name!

He glanced nervously at the girl, who realized she was being looked at, and looked at him. He looked back at the coffee maker, waiting for it to finish brewing. He was no good at conversations, and the girl's broken speech made it even more awkward. He glanced at her feet, which swung back and forth. She didn't have any shoes, right? She'd need to get some, soon, if she was going to walk around New York.

His coffee maker beeped, and her poured himself a cup, dropping a few sugar cubes in and stirring it. The girl took another one, chewing on it, happily. She'd have to eat real food, sooner or later. Beans and sugar cubes somehow kept Rorschach going, but a little girl ran on different things, and needed vitamins and nutrients. She looked up at him, smiling again, then grimaced, holding her eye.

"What's wrong?" She looked at him, not knowing what to do. She wasn't supposed to take her mask off. Ever. He eye was throbbing, though, and sleeping on it didn't make it better. Her stomach was starting to hurt, too, right where the man had grabbed her. She looked at Daniel again, not sure whether she should tell him. He looked back at her.

"I can't help if you don't tell me what it is." She sighed and looked down, then untied her mask, slipping it off her face. Dan couldn't help but not be prepared for what was under the black cloth. Her left eye was almost swollen shut, and was turning a brilliant purple. He immediately got her an ice pack and had her hold it against the bruised eye. She yelped at how cold it was, but she held it there, nonetheless.

"Anywhere else?" The girl nodded and wrapped her free hand around her midsection. Daniel winced. He couldn't help with those.

"Here," he said, nervously, handing her another ice pack, "You can go look. I'm going to.. uh, stay here." The girl nodded, grateful for the privacy and made her way back to the bathroom. She pulled up her dress to reveal her stomach. She honestly wasn't ready for what was under there. Her entire stomach was covered in purple and fading yellow bruises, and she was sure there were a few more on her back. That man had gripped her HARD.

She winced, rubbing the ice pack all over her wounds, feeling the soothing cool for a moment, then fading back into the pain. After a few minutes, she was feeling well enough to walk out. Daniel was sitting in the kitchen, now dressed, and sipping his coffee. He checked her eye and said it was healing well.

"We need to get you some shoes, and I need to get some groceries. Are you alright?" The girl nodded, running to the couch and picking up her jacket. The rusted, broken pocketknife slipped out of the pocket and onto the ground. Daniel picked it up, inspecting it. He looked at her, uneasily.

"I think we'll keep this put away," he mumbled, sticking it in a drawer, hopefully never to come out. The idea of this girl being armed was scary. Well, unarmed she was just as dangerous. She nodded, frowning as if she'd done something wrong and slipping her jacket on, grabbing her mask and stuffing it in her pocket. Daniel led her out the door and onto the sidewalk, sighing as he examined the cracked doorframe in the light. He'd have to stop to order a new door. Again.

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The girl trotted merrily along behind him, smiling widely and often glancing down at her feet. Her new shoes were nice and black and shiny, just like she wanted. They made soft sounds whenever she walked, so if she wanted to walk silently, she could. And, she didn't have to worry about stepping on anything. Daniel, however, was slightly less cheery, carrying a few grocery bags (One full of bean cans that the girl chose out, saying, ""Rorschach!") and not really knowing what to do. The kid was really little and following him. She had no name, no home, and no possessions except for her clothes and an old pocketknife, which he took away, _and _she could shoot things with an invisible gun.

He looked back at her, but she wasn't there. Panicking, he turned around, eyes frantically searching for the little girl. Had she been abducted? Or run away? Or…. No, she was just staring through the window at a bagel shop, eyes large as saucers. Daniel remembered, embarrassed, that she hadn't eaten yet. He led her inside and ordered her and himself one.

"No need. Okay." He looked down at the girl who looked guilty. Oh, she was feeling bad about him paying for all this. She obviously didn't know about his inheritance. He smiled at her.

"It's no problem." He handed the cashier the money and received the bagels in return. He handed the girl hers.

"You chose the right place. Bagels in New York are the very best." The girl nodded, then bit into her food, smiling widely at the taste. She swallowed and looked up at him.

"Right!" She took another big bite. They stopped by the newspaper stand, Daniel saying hi t the newspaper man, Bernard, and discussing something about the president. The girl tapping the shoulder of the young man, Bernie, and held out her foot to show off her new shoes. He looked at them and smiled.

"Looks like you found them. Good thing, too." She nodded, taking another bite of bagel, almost finishing it, and going to show Bernard. The man paused his conversation with Daniel and looked down at her shoes. The he looked at her eye.

"Where'd you get the Shiner?" The girl frowned, reaching up to her eye. Why did the newspaper man ask her all the wrong questions?

"Fell. Accident. Nothing bad." The man nodded and she finished her bagel, staring sadly at her empty napkin. She looked up to see the man from the day before buying a newspaper. He didn't seem to notice her, but she stared at him. He looked the exact same: old clothes, sign, red hair, freckles. He bought his newspaper, handing the newspaper man his money, then turned to walk away. Towards her. The man caught sight of the girl though. He stopped, looked at her for a moment, then turned the other way. She watched him walk away, sadly.

She felt a hand on her shoulder. Daniel smiled at her.

"Time to go." She nodded, letting herself be led back to Daniel's home.

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Night was coming soon, and that meant Rorschach would come back with some answers. Hopefully. The girl sat on the couch, watching the television with wide eyes, as if she'd never seen one before. Oh right. She hadn't. She was wearing one of his shirts, since her dress was in the wash. It was getting kind of gross. The little girl looked funny in her over-sized shirt. Since she was so small and he… wasn't, it fit her like a tent.

He glanced at the clock. 8:30. It was getting darker by the minute. Where was Rorschach?! The girl yawned, curling up on the couch, though he eyes never strayed from the TV. They had eaten some soup he'd bought for dinner, and the girl had eaten more than he had. He guessed all that, plus the excitement the day had had for her were starting to catch up with her.

The girl, as he had predicted, was asleep in minutes, snoring quietly. He smiled, then turned his attention to the television, trying to keep his eyes from wandering back to the clock.

&&&&&&&&&&

He cracked. It was after 10:00. Where was Rorschach?! Daniel angrily flipped the TV off, careful to not wake up the sleeping girl, and walked back to his room. Not bothering to change clothes, he turned off the lights and climbed into bed. The day's events replayed themselves in his head, each memory crystal clear. What a day. And it wasn't going to end until Rorschach came to get the girl. Not that he minded. She was nice company, despite the awkwardness of it all. He felt all his thoughts float away as he drifted off to sleep.

&&&&&&&&&&

Daniel was awoken by the door being slammed. He leapt out of bed, glancing at the clock to see it was 11:00, then rushed to his living room. The girl was up and already dressed in her coat, mask, and shoes. Standing beside her was Rorschach. FINALLY! The girl smiled at him and he felt himself automatically smile back.

"Good to see you up, Daniel. Have to go." Daniel looked from the vigilante to the girl. Where was he taking her? Not to keep the city safe! She was just a kid!

"Where are you going? I'm coming with you." Rorschach just looked at him, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Not what you think. Seeing someone." Dan looked at him skeptically.

"Who?" If Rorschach could smirk, he knew the vigilante certainly would, right now.

"Who else? Indestructible Man, Doctor Manhattan."

_A/N: Chapter two is up. Hope I kept everyone in character and that this is just as good as I've been told the first chapter was. Doc Manhattan might be able to clear some things up for us….. Maybe. Still no name. Hopefully by the next chapter, I'll think of one._ _I need to think of a normal name, too. I hope to get a picture up here, at some point, to maybe make it easier to imagine. I dunno._

_-H&B_


	3. Chapter 3

The girl smiled at the door, as if it alone would hold all the answers to her problems. Daniel glanced nervously around, not sure of what to think. Of course Jon would have the answers, but would they be good. Rorschach just stood there, calm as ever. He knew Dr. Manhattan would answer his questions about the child. He wasn't worried about it. Plus, when it was all figured out, it would be one more problem off his back.

The door opened, and Daniel suddenly remembered something very important about Jon: he seldom wore clothes among the other Watchmen. As the door slid out of the way, he quickly covered her eyes with a hand. He could see the large machines all around the room, but no Jon. He looked around rapidly, hand still over the girl's eyes as he heard Jon speak.

"It's alright, Daniel, I've covered up." He looked up to see the blue man gently float to the ground wearing… well, something at least. He took his hand off the girl's eyes, and she stared at the blue scientist. He looked back at her, then at Daniel and Rorschach.

"I can't answer all your questions, but I can tell you one thing. The girl isn't human, or at least wasn't born as one. She was obviously created while thinking of me, since she has traces of my nuclear energy, and was programmed to find us before doing anything else. She was supposed to be some sort of weapon, but the project was ended and she was to be terminated. She got out before that could happen, though, with a concussion and black eye."

Daniel looked at the girl with wide eyes. That would explain a lot: the loss of memory, the fighting skills, the invisible gun, everything. He looked back at Jon, who was inspecting the girl, face to face. She seemed to be inspecting him right back, and even reached out to touch his face. He thought he saw a ghost of a smile on Dr. Manhattan's face.

"Unfortunately, due to the radiation she gives off, I can't see much more into her past or future. I can, however, tell that this girl is tough. Much tougher than any of you. She was designed to be super-strong, super-fast, able to bear most injuries, and very intelligent. Not to mention the little 'ability' she showed you both. I could keep her here and find who and where they created her. It would be no trouble and I know Laurie won't mind her."

Daniel looked at Rorschach, who seemed to be considering it. He knew that it would be the right thing to do. To help her figure out what had happened to her, how and why she was created, how to master all the things she could do, but he couldn't bear the thought of never seeing the kid again. The girl turned to look at him and Rorschach, giving him the pitiful look, again. It almost broke his heart.

"Go ahead. Kid needs a place to stay, anyway." Daniel looked at Rorschach in shock, amazed that the vigilante could just push the girl away without a second thought. He looked at Jon, who nodded and stood from his crouching position. Rorschach let out a, "Hurm." And began to walk out the door.

"Come on, Daniel." He hadn't moved. Daniel frowned, still staring at the girl, who was still watching him.

"No, I can't do that. She needs to be treated like a real kid, not some sort of science project. Jon, I know you mean well, but I just can't let her stay." The girl looked at him, wide eyes unblinking. He almost flinched under their constant surveillance. He heard Rorschach's footsteps falter, then stop completely, and knew the vigilante was looking at him. And, of course, Dr. Manhattan was looking at him, too. Wonderful.

Then, he heard new footsteps coming down the hall. The footsteps that came from ladies shoes. Laurie Juspeczyk was coming to join the party. He turned to see her walk past Rorschach, who _had_ been staring at him, and up to him. She smiled at him and Jon, then looked at the girl, surprised.

"Who's this?" The girl turned to look at Laurie, not expecting yet another person to show up. The woman inspected the girl, who looked back at her, in turn. Rorschach mumbled something and stepped back into the room.

"Little girl I found. A weapon. Dr. Manhattan is going to keep her, _right, Daniel_?" Dan looked at Rorschach, opening his mouth to say something, when Laurie cut him off.

"Does she have a name?" The girl shook her head and Laurie frowned. The girl scratched the back of her head, making a face. It was as if she'd done something wrong.

"She has no memory. She had a concussion," Daniel said, and Laurie nodded, understandably. She got down on one knee to look at the girl, eye to eye, and Daniel realized that they were more alike than he thought. They looked kind of alike.

"Kid's staying with you, Laurie. Come, Daniel. _Time to go._" Daniel took one last look at the girl and grudgingly began to walk towards the door. He knew the girl was looking at him. He could feel the holes burning in his back. But, he couldn't look back. If he did, he wouldn't be able to leave. He felt himself stop in the doorway. He tried to force his head to stay facing forward, but he couldn't. He glanced back at the girl.

Her eyes were the size of saucers and doing this weird sort of twinkling thing. She threw him her most pitiful face, _again_, and he couldn't help it. He turned around fully.

"Jon, Laurie, I really don't think this is a good idea. I mean, she isn't just a weapon. She's a kid, just a little kid! Really, a military base is no place for a kid!" He felt his face redden a bit, realizing that Laurie and Jon were both staring at him, again. Oh, and Rorschach, too, was glaring at him, again. The man obviously wanted to leave. He looked at the blue man, who seemed to be considering something.

"Actually, Rorschach, I need to ask you of something." The vigilante was back at the door and Daniel could feel the irritation just radiating off of him. "I need you to take the girl out to see how much she can do. Since you're the only active one of us, I figured it would be in the best interest."

The girl's eyes widened in shock, and she looked up at Dr. Manhattan with a curious expression on her face.

"Learn?" He nodded, then she looked at Rorschach with a small smile. Daniel felt his heart drop. No way would he let a little kid go out with Rorschach! The man, though his friend, was a sociopath, and she wasn't ready to deal with rapists, murderers, and drug dealers. He opened his mouth to protest, again, but Dr. Manhattan stopped him.

"Daniel, I know you don't like it, but she's designed to do just that, and she needs to be tested. I'm sorry, Dan." And suddenly, he was in his bathroom. His dinner felt like it was coming up, but he held onto it. He stumbled out of the room, unhappy with both his form of transportation and why he was sent home.

The girl, tough as she was, would get snapped like a twig out there! She wasn't ready to see, let alone deal with, the things that happened in the underbelly of the city. He glanced at the clock. It was after one in the morning. It was too late to stop them, now. They'd be and about in minutes, and then he'd never find them.

Daniel felt himself sink, feeling down. He'd become somewhat attached to the girl, even though they hadn't been together for long. She just had that sort of… personality. That sweet naiveté that only a child could possess. He let himself crawl into bed and fall asleep, still troubled by the idea of Rorschach being accompanied by the girl on his patrols.

&&&&&&&&&&

The girl looked at Dr. Manhattan in shock. One second, Daniel had been there. The next, POOF! He was gone. She worriedly rubbed her shoulder.

"Daniel okay?" she asked in a small voice. The blue man looked down at her, small smile tugging at his lips.

"There's nothing to worry about. He's at his home." The girl nodded, staring into space as she began to think. Rorschach shifted uncomfortably. He thought he was going to leave and never be bothered with the strange little girl, again, but now he was supposed to take her with him on patrol?! That was crazy. The kid was going to get hurt, or worse, in his way. He glanced at Dr. Manhattan, frowning. Not that they could see, anyways.

"She's just going to be out there for tests. We don't know what she can really do, yet." The man said it so matter-of-factly, but Laurie knew he was just sore because he didn't know _quite_ everything. She found herself chuckling a bit.

"The kid's a real enigma, isn't she?"

&&&&&&&&&&

_The girl was fighting a gang. Whenever she took down one, another three came to take his place, until she could no longer fight them off. She shot one, just to get run through with a knife from behind…._

Daniel woke up in a cold sweat. Ever since he'd drifted off to sleep, he'd had nightmares about the girl being mauled, stabbed, shot, just all-around gory and vicious scenes that ended with lots of blood and tragedy. In truth, he felt rather horrible about letting the girl go off to be a hero, and his sub-conscience just wasn't going to let that go.

He looked at the clock. 10:00 AM. He should have been getting up, anyways. He trudged towards the kitchen, heart still sunk. He just felt so… bad. Everything seemed to be poking him in the back. He even found himself reaching in the fridge for the orange juice when he was supposed to be making himself coffee.

Groggily starting the coffee maker, he sat at the table, trying to think of something else while his coffee brewed. Sounds of soft breathing awakened him from his depression. He became totally silent, but it was obvious from the start that it wasn't him. He stood, cautiously making his way to his living room.

He glanced at his couch and was relieved to see what was there:

The girl was curled up on his couch, snoring softly. She looked fine, and was all in one piece, thank god. There were some differences, though. She now had a pair of pinstriped black pants, some gray gloves, and her mask was different. It looked as if it was attached to her face, and blanked out her eyes, making them look milky and pupil-less. Her jacket was a little dirty, and he could see a bloodstain or two, but she appeared to be unharmed. A small piece of paper fluttered beside her head, and he was careful to pick it up without waking her.

.ך Γ.

Daniel smiled, stuffing the paper in his pocket. He noticed another paper sticking out of her pocket. He silently slipped it out of he coat and read it.

_Dear Dan,_

_This is Enigma. You might know her better as 'Emmy'. She's a real tough kid. I think she even impressed Rorschach, because he had nothing to say about her. Maybe that's just me. Jon thought about keeping her with us, but she seemed really down about .I could tell she was trying to be nice, though. Jon is going to try and find out more about how she was created, and we were hoping she could stay with you. It's probably better that way, anyway. Good luck, and know that I'll come to visit you guys, soon._

_Your friend,_

_Laurie_

Dan smiled at the letter, and slipped it in his pocket with the other one. The blanket she had used, before, was still rumpled on the top of the couch and he quietly slipped that over her. She didn't even move.

'Probably worn out,' he mused to himself, and he tiptoed back to the kitchen to watch his coffee brew and stop the machine before it beeped.

&&&&&&&&&&

"Hurm." Dr. Manhattan looked at Rorschach, acknowledging the man, who seemed to be frowning. They were standing above the sleeping girl, who Rorschach had just deposited on Daniel's couch. He kept his voice down.

"Think it's best to leave her with Daniel?" The blue man nodded, looking at before at the girl one last time. They were back at the military base, in his quarters.

"She'll be most safe and happy there. She's grown very attached to Daniel. And you, too. She knows that if she stays with him, she'll see both of you more than ever." Rorschach nodded, but didn't really seem to like the idea of someone wanting to be more like him. On the outside, at least.

"Besides," the man said, looking away sadly, lost in thought, "We don't know when they'll come for her. Since they will, we both know it. They figured that since we have almost the same energy signature, she'd attach herself to me, first. Her being with Daniel would make it harder for them." Rorschach nodded.

"Still. Girl's dangerous. Never know what she'll do." Dr. Manhattan let out a chuckle.

"They say the same about you. In any case, it's best we leave little… Laurie called her 'Enigma', Emmy for short, I believe. We'll leave little Enigma with Daniel and see what happens. It's all for the best, Rorschach. Believe me."

&&&&&&&&&&

Earlier…

A man in a business suit sat on a rooftop, watching the scene beneath him unfold. A group of drug dealers had been caught by the wrong person. Rorschach was a killing machine, taking out many of the men without any help. But he wasn't a real killing machine like the other vigilante with him. The girl was programmed well, fighting off hordes of men with guns with nothing but her hands.

He stood, ready to leave before he was discovered, as the girl smiled and looked to the man for praise. Around them, bodies of men close to death and corpses riddled with broken bones and covered in their own blood laid on the ground. Yes, she was coming along quite nicely. Too bad she was to be terminated…

_-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

_A/N: Yay! She has a name! I give the credit to Detective Huckle, since YOU gave me the idea with YOUR comment. I can hug you! You shall receive many cookies and maybe a vital organ or two in the mail! I have a picture of her on my Deviantart. My name is Desdomina, and I hope you check it out. Also, It's a little shorter than the others, bit that was because I was drawing a blank. Sorry 'bout that! Anyways, enjoy!_


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